Almost 1!

Dear Sullivan,

In less than a week you'll turn one year old.  I'll never get over how much change and growth happens within the first year.

 

When I think about how much life you have ahead of you my momma heart can barely keep all of the dreams and hopes it holds inside.  At one year you are still so little, but the days are passing quickly.  I try to take every opportunity to be purposeful in the way I'm teaching you as you grow.  However, my love, my guidance and my dreams are merely a launching pad for the many possibilities of your life. 

As for me, I'm certain that the very best thing I will ever do in my life has already begun.

My whole heart,

Momma

You have gone from this little baby...

To this big boy...

Peek-a-boo!

A Little Murray Dance Party

Every once in awhile we have an especially magical experience with our kids.  I'm sure all parents have them.  They generally sneak up on the most unexpected days.  Times which will earn a spot in the mental montage of your life when you're looking back at the end of it.

The other evening it was time for baths, but Max said "Dance party, pwease!?"  I had to say yes.  I asked what should we dance to and he said, "the song for me!". Which, I actually have two songs for him, but I knew he meant "Loves Me Like a Rock" by Paul Simon. 

He got out his little baseball bat and played it like a guitar. We danced in the living room at dusk with the blinds wide open. Holding hands and turning up the volume. Billy bounced Sully around to the beat. I sang my heart out to those little boys. 

Picking more music.  My little DJs.

Billy and I just smiled in disbelief at how amazing and perfect these little people we created are. And it really is overwhelming. How did we get here? How did all this happen? How, out of all the little boys in the world, did we get the best ones?

It's moments like this that time stands still and I feel like we have it all.  Nothing can come in between the love we have for one another.  Sully clapping his hands to the music, Max spinning wildly in his underware.  Billy looking as handsome as ever.  In that moment my smile could've just about turned to tears.  I needed nothing else in this whole wide world...except for maybe a half dozen more of these sweet babies dancing at my feet ;)  (jk, jk...I'm not having 8 kids!)

Update: 11 months

Dear Sullivan,

Here we are starting the countdown to the first anniversary of your birth.  Lately I've been thinking back to what I was doing last year at this time.  Waiting, waiting for you to arrive. 

I was writing about how surprisingly relaxed I was as your due date approached in THIS blog entry.  And how Max was busy preparing for your arrival HERE.  And even wrote how ready I was just FOUR DAYS before you decided your time had come.

But I had no idea what I was in store for. How head over heels I would fall for you.  How much my heart would grow and change and make way for another little love in my life.

Sitting in the corner next to the sign is no longer an option for these photos.

I brought Billy in for back-up and asked him to restrain Sullivan while holding up the sign.  I forgot to mention that clothing was only optional for the baby...so sorry for the nudity on an otherwise very decent and respectable blog ;)

On the Fourth of July as you sat outside devouring a wedge of watermelon I flashed back to this picture of you inside my (enormous) belly.



Look at you just sitting there eating watermelon like its what you do best ;)

It's been an unforgettable year.  And its an amazing thing being your momma.  That is the one thing that will never change as time passes.  Happy 11 months, sweet Sully...just 4 more weeks until your special day!

Real Life Moments: June

Wow...that month went by fast.  I just finished wading through the hundreds of images that I captured in the short span of 30 days.  Am I over doing it?  Probably.  But I don't care.  These are our real life moments from June....
INSIDE FUN:

1) Sully using his little chair to walk.  2)  Good morning from Sully's room!  3) Cruisin' around the dining room.  4) So much focus in the playroom.

Sully likes to play in the kitchen drawers and get out all the measuring cups and spoons.  Another favorite of his is blocks...they all go in, then he dumps them out...then they all go in...you get the idea :)  And Max loves to sit at his little desk in the living room and tell me he's "doing work".

Making "Dinosaur Poop". It was a fun way to show Max how mixing primary colors make secondary colors. He loved seeing that mixing blue and yellow made GREEN! It's so easy to impress a 2 year old.

The Art of Hiding.

"I know you're in there, Max..."

The Art of Seeking.

Max reads books to me constantly.  He has most of his favorites memorized...almost word for word.  The ones that he doesn't have memorized he'll make up a story to go with the pictures.  He's very interested in how letters make words.  He'll point to sentences (or words on anything really) and say "What's those words say, Momma?"  I love his curiosity and interest in reading already.

OUTSIDE FUN:

A trip to the market for fresh fruits, veggies and homemade pasta.

Max was my big helper and...the green bean thief. 

Toddler problem solving with water balloons and a plastic knife.  It was cute to see him try to figure out how to use the knife to pop the balloon.  And boy was it worth it to see his reaction when he finally figured it out!  This guy has had so much practice cutting balloons now that I think he could cut his own steak safely and efficiently :)

I try to say "yes" as often as I can.  So when we drove by this park and Max asked me to stop...I decided to say "Sure!"  We didn't have anywhere else to be and it made his little day :)

Visits from Aunt Een, cheering on Dada's kickball team (Max was so proud to see his Daddy out on the field.) and walks to our local park make for fun summer days.

All Max needs is a little plastic pool, the sprinklers and some fresh fruit.

PLAY DATES:

An afternoon at Deanna Rose.  Funny story about the picture on the left...I said "Hey, Max, put your head in the circle."  Taking my instruction literally, he put the top of his head into the hole.  I was laughing so hard and finally said "I mean put your FACE in the hole!"  :)

Play dates at Chik-fil-a, at Annabelle's pool, lunch with GG and Lolli.  And finally, a Mr Stinky Feet concert.  Max enjoyed using Sully's head as a drum...which got me wondering...how long do baby's have a "soft spot" on their heads?  Poor Sullivan.

A little outing to our local book store "The Reading Reptile".

Play group at Union Station's train exhibit.

With play group friends at the blueberry patch! Most blueberries went directly into Max's mouth as opposed to the bucket.  Sully munched on the ones he could find on the ground.  Mmmm...dirt covered blueberries.  I love the one of the boys with their sticks.  This posse always seems to find sticks no matter where we are...it's such a little boy thing!

I love the play dates that I have just the two of us.  When Max is in school Sullivan treats me to his charming company at lunch :)

 A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE FAMILY OUTINGS THIS MONTH:

The free dinosaur exhibit at Crown Center.  Max was in heaven.  And he could name most of the dino's on display.  He's just a little obsessed.  His dinosaur "roar" gets a little out of control too.

Max has discovered the tiny shopping carts at Trader Joes.  Watch out fellow shoppers...he will run you over.

Snow cones are a big hit on hot days.  A trip to Little Freshie is the perfect afternoon escape.

 About RLM:
I take so many pictures every month. Most don't document any particular milestone or special occasion. They're ones that might seem kind of boring, but when you put those little fragments of time together they tell our true story. The one that is ordinary but important in its own way. I call those fragments of time our real life moments.  

I compile our "real life moments" at the end of each month to begin stitching together our little moments into something more tangible. A whole greater than the sum of its parts. Like a quilt of memories.